Barbara Kuehnoel, of Bainbridge Island, died on June 28. She was 81.

Born in Seattle on Jan. 9, 1928 to Fredrick and Agnes Henricksen, Barbara attended Lincoln High School in Tacoma and graduated from the Univer-sity of Washing-ton. While living at the Sigma Kappa sorority, she met Robert E. Kuehnoel, her husband for nearly 60 years.

Living in Seattle and then Bellevue, they raised two loving children, Gregory and Dawnell. Barbara was active in the Children’s Hearing League, the Seattle Tennis Club and her church. Fond of singing and possessing a beautiful voice, she often summoned her children to dinner with the melodic intensity and volume of an operatic diva.

Not content to sit at home when her children left for college, Barbara went back to work for the Washington Bankers Association, where she became a meeting planner. Bob and Barbara moved to Bainbridge Island in 1988, where they have enjoyed island living ever since.

Barbara will long be remembered for her beauty, her kindness, determination and mordant wit.

She is survived by husband Robert Kuehnoel and children Gregory Kuehnoel and Dawnell D’Angelo (Anthony); grandchildren Christopher, Daniel and Alexander; sister Shirley Taylor (Stanley) and their children Deidre, Brent, Kristen and Terri.

The family offers deep appreciation to the kind and caring people at Island Health and Rehabilitation Center, which provided loving support over these last years. In lieu of flowers, send memorial contributions to: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, PO Box 19024 J-5-200 Seattle, WA. 98109.